Originally published Tuesday, 24 April 2012.
I watch their little faces as we prepare for bedtime prayers. I’m overwhelmed with love for them, overwhelmed with parenting them, these little boys who have stolen my heart and rocked my world. As I write this, my sons are six and four. Already I find myself wondering where the time has gone. I'm running as fast as I can to keep up with every step they take, tucking each moment away in my memory for safekeeping.
I asked God to give me boys. Even before I was married I knew I wanted boys -- to raise men who would be different, respecters of women, lovers of God -- to teach little men to work with their hands, take commitments seriously and protect the least of these. Warriors, protectors, worshippers, peacemakers and friends -- these are the dreams I have for my little ones.
Fast-forward 12 years or so, and the present-day circus that is my life often finds me asking this question:
WHAT WAS I THINKING?
I don’t have any clue how to be the mom of boys! They’re rough-and-tumble. I don’t have an athletic bone in my body. They’re loud and obnoxious. I enjoy peace and quiet. They love dirt and mud and bugs. I’d rather curl up with a good book in my nice cool family room.
Obviously, God has a sense of humor.
If you are the mother of at least one boy you are shaking your head in agreement with me right now. I used to think there was something wrong with my boys, that they were the only ones in the world who acted the way they do. Then the Lord hooked me up with an awesome community of boy moms and I learned that this simply isn't true! There is something different about boys!
· They’re loud.
· They like to leap from tall buildings with no safety net (a.k.a. jump off the top bunk).
· They like to build forts and hide candy.
· They break toilets and “go” in (and all over) anything BUT the toilet.
· They’re adventurous.
· They’re natural-born protectors.
· They like to shoot things (even when there’s nothing actually resembling a gun).
· They shower you with spit when showcasing their sound effects skills.
· They love their mommies and need their daddies.
· They’re made of snakes and snails and puppy dog tails (OK, not really. But when I told my oldest that girls were made of sugar and spice and everything nice, he asked if he could lick me!)
I’m afraid that we’re losing the beauty of training up godly men.
The bottom line is this: our boys need strong parents now more than ever. We’re losing them; raising a generation of weak men. Oh, they think they’re strong. When they have degrees behind their names and lots of zeros in their salary. When they work hard and do well, play sports and drink beer. When they get a whole string of young girls pregnant or “make” their wives obey. I’ve seen it all in my line of work. You probably have too, whether or not you work outside the home. Young men who have no idea what it means to be a man are everywhere.
We've failed them.
So what do we do about it? My answer is short and simple.
We pray.
Plead with God to change hearts of stone to hearts of flesh (Ezekiel 36:26).
Get on our knees.
So many of you moms, right this very moment, are kneeling down or lying flat on your face before God, asking Him to help you. You’re lost, overwhelmed, exhausted, stressed, heartbroken, and seconds away from waving the white flag in defeat. I know where you are. I’ve been there. I’m still there. I have no idea how to make this dream of mine come true. I have no idea how to raise men who will be different: respecters of women, lovers of God. I have no idea how to teach little men to work with their hands, take commitments seriously, and protect the least of these. And I certainly have no idea how to raise warriors, protectors, worshippers, peacemakers, and friends by myself.
But I do know how to get down on my knees and cry out to God on their behalf. I do know that God’s Word is “living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12).
Would you join me in praying purposefully and passionately for the hearts of our sons?
The 21 Days of Prayer for Sons challenge at the MOB Society (FOR moms of boys, BY moms of boys) starts May 1, 2012 and you still have plenty of time to sign up.
Pray for your sons. You might just change the world.
This post was excerpted from the book used in the 21 Days of Prayer for Sons challenge, Warrior Prayers: Praying the Word for Boys in the Areas They Need it Most.
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